“During the third quarter of the Wildcats game against Snohomish, Oak Harbor senior Valerie Hartman dove for a ball that was heading out of bounds. She ended up in the front row of bleachers on top of a young boy. The play happened while the Cats were down by 20 points during the third quarter with next to no chance of wining the game. But despite the fact that the Panthers scored twice as many points as Oak Harbor in the 72-36 drubbing, the play was indicative of how the Wildcats played all the way down to the buzzer. The love for the game keeps me going, said Hartman. You never win if you give up. If you hustle and you know you played well, it is always a win. The first time these two teams met this season the game was even more lopsided, with the Panthers beating the Wildcats 95-39. The 72 points that Snohomish scored during Wednesdays’ contest was viewed as a small victory for the team, according to coaches and players.I think that for the first three quarters we played really good defense, said head coach Dwight Lundstrom. Man-to-man defense is working well for us. We’ve been working hard on it and made a real commitment to it. Turnovers destroyed the Wildcats’ chances of wining, as the Panthers looked like thieves in the night. Snohomish gathered 13 steals to the Cats four and almost tripled the amount of turnovers for the game. The pick-pocket effect took charge, as Snohomish went on 7-0 runs seven times during the contest, pushing Oak Harbor further and further behind.Height continues to be Oak Harbor’s achilles heel, as the Panthers four players over 6-feet towered over the Cats. We just try our best, said Oak Harbor sophomore Shirley Spears. They are taller a lot taller than us. The kids worked hard, said Lundstrom. But there is a point where you’re giving into size over time. Despite the height differential, Oak Harbor outrebounded the Panthers 25-21 by hustling for every ball that clanked off the rim and bounced away. During the first quarter the Cats squandered chances to keep pace with the Panthers. Spears pulled down five rebounds and put four points on the board during just the first four minutes of the game before being pulled from the Cats’ lineup.It was just foul trouble and she gets winded, so I was trying to keep her fresh, said Lundstrom. I practiced more on boxing out and getting into the key instead of out onto the baseline, said Spears. The Wildcats were consistent over the first three quarters, as they were outscored by eight during the first and second and by seven during the third. But the score mounted on the Cats like dirt being shoveled into a hole. I told them at half time that if you turn the scoreboard off you don’t know who is winning the game, said Lundstrom. But we struggled in the third and all of the fourth. Its hard to go out there when we know we worked so hard, and just to get beat like that, said Oak Harbor senior Molly Bull. It’s getting tough but all we can do is just keep at it.Oak Harbor’s offense was more cold than a wind blowing off Puget Sound. Snohomish held Oak Harbor to just four points during the final frame while padding a 23 point lead.We just needed to pick it up on offense and we let up near the end, said Hartman. But our defense was a positive for us.The only lead that Oak Harbor was afforded during the fourth quarter was a 9-2 lead in fouls with three minutes remaining during the game. Despite the fouls, Oak Harbor was only afforded five free throws during the fourth and eight for the game. The Panthers came into the game with an 11-2 record in league play and a 16-2 record overall while perched atop the Northern division of the WesCo 4A standings. The Cats sit at 2-11 in league play and 4-15 overall. They are a power house and we did a lot better than last time, said Bull.Snohomish 72, Oak Harbor 36 Snohomish: Barstow 8, Cornwell 5, Stacey 4, Hopkins 11, Lindemoth 2, Judy 5, Markey 7, Thompson 4, Mock 14, Bailey 2, Speer 10. Oak Harbor: Bull 2, Hartman 9, Brundidge 2, Manibusan 7, Phillips 2, Armstrong 5, White 2, Spears 7. 3-point goals: Manibusan 1, Hopkins 1, Judy 1, Markey 1. JV game-Snohomish defeated Oak Harbor. Records: Snohomish 12-1 league, 17-2 overall. Oak Harbor 2-11, 4-15.Snohomish 16 17 22 17 – 72 Oak Harbor 8 9 15 4 – 36 “